Spa-Francorchamps, the final sprint begins
With the rainy Silverstone round behind, the FIA Formula 3 Championship will face a new and important challenge next weekend at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps track. The legendary Walloon circuit will host the eighth and third-to-last round of the series. At the end of the weekend in Northamptonshire, Trident Motorsport maintained its lead in the Drivers' standings, while dropping to second place in the Teams' standings, just two points off the top.
Firmly leading the Drivers' standings, with a twenty-seven point advantage over the nearest rival, Rafael Câmara finished eighth in the Sprint Race held at Silverstone, but did not score any points in the Feature Race. The twenty-year-old Brazilian has extensive knowledge of the Spa-Francorchamps track, having raced and won there repeatedly in Formula Regional Europe.
Trident Motorsport's other drivers, Charlie Wurz and Noah Strømsted, are also determined ahead of the race in the Ardennes. While the Austrian managed to finish ninth in Saturday's Sprint Race, the seventeen-year-old Dane missed the points in both races at Silverstone. Sixth in the championship standings, Strømsted will be looking to score valuable points at Spa-Francorchamps.
Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager: “After a two-weekend mini-break, track activity resumes next weekend with back-to-back trips to Spa and Budapest. This is a crucial stage of the season for the championship, as only the final round in early September in Monza will be left after these two. At the Ardennes circuit, where we have a winning tradition, our goal is to be competitive against increasingly demanding competition. The preparation work has been meticulous; now we need to execute it perfectly.”
The engines of the FIA Formula 3 Championship cars will start on Friday at 9:00 a.m., with the 45-minute free practice session. Qualifying is scheduled for the same day at 2:00 p.m. The Sprint Race will be on Saturday at 9:15 a.m. The Feature Race, which will conclude the weekend, will start on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. All track action will be broadcast live on Sky Sport F1.